Laughs, Life Lessons, and a St. Bernard: My Unexpected Encounter on the Colorado Trail
Often, I find myself hiking alone on Colorado trails, immersed in my thoughts. I rarely stop to chat with people, but when I do, it's almost always with older hikers. These seasoned souls, with sun-wrinkled skin, basic hiking clothes, and at least one dog in tow, have stories to tell.
On a recent trip to Durango, I found myself hiking Segment 24, the final stretch of the Colorado Trail. I had already done a hike that morning, arriving at the Colorado Trail around noon.
It was blistering hot, and I immediately realized this stretch was not the beautiful San Juan Mountains I had expected.
Determined to keep going, I hiked in the wicked Colorado summer sun, cursing the exposed trail and wishing for a dip in the rushing stream beside me. Immersed in my thoughts, I barely noticed the massive St. Bernard barreling toward me.
Looking up as this large wet nose knocked into me, I was just about to yell, "Hey, control your dog," when I saw them: two tiny ladies happily trekking down, merrily calling out, "He's friendly, rub him under his chin, he likes that."
As they caught up, I realized this was not just a touch-and-go sort of meeting. Nope, these twins were ready for a conversation!
And boy, did we have one!
There was little space to insert a word as I listened to them, completely mesmerized by their words.
Here’s what I learned from these two ladies:
You're never too old to hike
Barely five minutes into the meet and greet, I found out they were 81 years old. Hiking the CT segment daily, they started this 2-mile round-trip hike each April, ending in November.
Every day, they were on it, adding miles to their seemingly short (but actually very long) to-do list.
When I asked them why, one simply said, "You can’t ever stop. See, once you pick up a cane, you move to a wheelchair, then a bed, and then it’s over."
Motion is lotion, and these ladies were gliding!
Make a plan and stick with it
For the past four years, these sisters have headed out to Segment 24 of the Colorado Trail for their daily 2-mile round-trip trek.
Committed from April to November, they manage to rack up over 400 miles each season on this trail.
While two miles a day doesn’t seem like much, it adds up to a significant amount.
The only way they accomplish this is by making a plan and sticking with it.
Have a route. Have a plan. Work the plan.
Be willing to take risks
When they turned 70, these twins took their 14-year-old grandson on a 70-mile Colorado Trail backpacking adventure. Loaded with gear and energy, they spent over a week going up and down passes, setting up camp, gathering firewood, and living an adventure.
"We went into the trip with a squirrely, annoying 14-year-old and came out with a man!"
It’s never too late to dream big, tackle a bucket list hike, and spend time with those you love.
We didn’t part ways on the trail until after I took a picture of a new cooling towel concept from a local vendor (one of the twins was insistent upon making sure I had the name of the company), petted their St. Bernard at least 30 more times, and found out about a locals-only hike nearby.
In a nutshell, here’s what these fantastic ladies taught me:
You're never too old to hike: Age is just a number when it comes to hitting the trails.
Make a plan and stick with it: Consistency turns small steps into grand journeys.
Be willing to take risks: Adventure knows no age limits and can transform lives.
Next time you're out on the trail, take a moment to chat with those seasoned souls you encounter. You might just walk away with new friends, a few laughs, and invaluable life lessons. And maybe a St. Bernard slobber souvenir.